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A while back we did some benchmarks on a sharware
program called Startup
Doubler which claims to speed up the loading of extensions
and control panels at startup. Click
Here to see the scores for version 1.0, otherwise suffice
it to say the results didn't live up to the software's name.
Since then version 2.0 of Startup Doubler has been released
along with a commercial competitor from Casady
& Greene called Speed
Startup. Startup Doubler is pretty much a one trick pony
whereas Speed Startup also accelerates the finder's "window
zoom" animation for a snappier feel opening and closing
windows. Speed Startup's control panel also lets you bypass
memory tests which can be time consuming on Macs with an abundance
of RAM. While convenient, you can also access this option
when opening the memory control panel by holding the command
and option keys. Below you will find our test results for
each program
For our tests we used a Power Mac 9500, souped
up with XLR8's MACh
Carrier G3/400 upgrade card. For all the tests, with the
exception of the "OS 8.6 base set" test, we ran
with all system extensions on plus those required by the XLR8
card and the software being tested. The boot drive was the
stock 2 gig that came in the 9500. Reboot time was clocked
with a stopwatch from the "Welcome to Mac OS" screen
to the appearance of hard drive on the desktop. The first
reboot after install was ignored and the following three reboots
times were averaged. Within each test reboot times were remarkably
consistent. We also tested SpeedDoubler 8 from Connectix
but noted no performance gains or losses. This was true using
Speed Doubler 8 alone or in tandem with Startup Doubler/Speed
Startup.
Test Results With 512k Disk Cache
Test Results With 2MB Disk Cache
For this test run we added in a pared down extension set.
Actual Reboot Times
Conclusions
I was hoping for more impressive results when
I set out to benchmark these two programs. A savings of 5-8
seconds is nothing to get excited about and definitely doesn't
qualify as anything close to doubling your startup time. Perhaps
savings become more impressive with larger extension sets.
It is interesting to note that with a larger disk cache the
Mac OS closes the gap even further. It may pay to take a peek
in your memory control panel and try a few different settings.
If you have a system loaded with third party extensions and
control panels you might as well try downloading the shareware
Startup Doubler and running a few tests of your own. Unfortunately,
there is no demo version of C&G's Speed Startup. Both
programs run $20. Trimming down your extension set is the
cheapest way to boost your boot time and may have the added
bonus of making your system more stable. For the definitive
guide to extension check out Casady & Greene's highly
rated Conflict
Catcher 8 or the shareware Extension
Overload.
| Internal Links |
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System
7.6 to 8.6 Benchmarked - A comprehensive suite of
tests including boot time.
Older OS Version
Results
A performance
comparison of 8.0 and 8.1
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| External Links |
Casady
& Greene
Startup
Doubler Home
Online
reviews of Mac operating systems and system enhancing
software
MacOSPlanet
- A much more flattering review of Startup Doubler
BareFeats
- Benchmarks for both products
Extension
Overload - Helps you identify unnecessary extensions.
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